Suffering

When Peter says that those who suffer in the flesh have ceased from sin, he is not teaching that sinless perfection is possible in this life. Until we are glorified we will still sin. However, as John Calvin writes, if ...Read More

If we are surprised when persecution comes, then we will find it more difficult
to endure it and experience the grace of God in our suffering. Yet as we remember
that both belief and suffering are granted to us by ...Read More

John Calvin writes, “it is no common kindness from God, that he calls us, freed and exempted from the common punishment of our sins, to so honourable a warfare as to undergo for the testimony of his Gospel either exiles ...Read More

Calvin and other commentators agree that Ephesians 6:10–20, and the armor of God described therein, provides a guide for how we might stand firm and resist Satan’s devices. Persevering faith, prayer, and the Word of God can ...Read More

Take some time today to read through 1 Peter and consider the call to stand firm for Jesus even when it brings suffering to us. Spend some time in prayer meditating on how willing you are to bear the sufferings ...Read More

Being a servant in the kingdom of God does not carry with it a life of ease. In His wisdom, the Lord has seen fit to exact His reign through weak disciples in whom His power is made perfect (2 ...Read More

Jesus is our example as we suffer when doing good. Like Him, we must not retaliate in kind, but we must entrust ourselves to the care of our Father knowing that He will justly repay all those who have treated ...Read More

As you run for the prize of heaven have you ever found yourself weary? Perhaps you might even be weary now as you endure many problems and trials. Whether you feel weary now or strong, take some time to meditate ...Read More

How apt are you to play the part of the righteous victim? Do you become indignant when you experience hardship even though you might deserve it for meddling in someone else’s affairs? Though we are called to rescue others ...Read More

Do you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ as one of His sheep, or are you
counted among the goats who serve another master? If you trust in Jesus
alone, then you can be sure that He will receive you ...Read More

To speak of suffering as a loving expression of God’s discipline is not to say
that there is always a one-to-one correlation between a specific sin we have
committed and our trial. Such a correlation may be true in ...Read More

Today’s passage, which also says that the righteous are scarcely saved, does not warn us that salvation can be lost. Rather, as John Calvin says, it tells us that no one enters the kingdom without experiencing hardship. Even in ...Read More

We should never be surprised when persecution, no matter its intensity, comes to us. John Calvin says that it actually can serve to confirm that we have true faith. Yet at the same time, it can be scary to consider ...Read More

Patience is a key virtue in the Christian life because of our need to take a
long view of things. It can be difficult to remain faithful in suffering or to
spend hours ministering with little visible return. When we ...Read More

We may not always think of it in this way, but our suffering for the cause of
Christ actually brings us closer to the day of His return, for God has ordained
that the day of Jesus’ victorious coming would ...Read More